Distant voices? March 11, 2012 7:07 PM Subscribe
Who is the mefite furthest from other mefites?
Apparently, I am 62 miles from the nearest mefite (hi Mahogne). I'm curious to know who the most isolated (?active) mefite is. You'd imagine it would be someone at McMurdo station or something -- only I sort of imagine there being more than one up there. So, anyway, what's the record?
Apparently, I am 62 miles from the nearest mefite (hi Mahogne). I'm curious to know who the most isolated (?active) mefite is. You'd imagine it would be someone at McMurdo station or something -- only I sort of imagine there being more than one up there. So, anyway, what's the record?
I don't think I'm the most remote (though as things go, I'm pretty remote), and I'm certainly not one of the most active, but my profile confirms that there are no other Metafilter members (who have provided locations, anyways) nearby. I've actually been wondering lately if there was some way to use the infodump to find out how many members have this message on their profiles.
posted by mireille at 7:17 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by mireille at 7:17 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
If I remember correctly, eotvos was the only actual mefite at the Antarctica meetup, so I think that would make him the winner.
posted by roll truck roll at 7:25 PM on March 11, 2012 [8 favorites]
posted by roll truck roll at 7:25 PM on March 11, 2012 [8 favorites]
It doesn't look like eotvos is there anymore, according to his profile.
posted by two lights above the sea at 7:28 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by two lights above the sea at 7:28 PM on March 11, 2012
This question cannot be answered, because there is no one person who is the furthest away from other mefites. Thee must be at least two that are equally distant from each other ;-)
posted by dg at 7:28 PM on March 11, 2012 [8 favorites]
posted by dg at 7:28 PM on March 11, 2012 [8 favorites]
dg: "This question cannot be answered, because there is no one person who is the furthest away from other mefites. Thee must be at least two that are equally distant from each other ;-)"
Not if one of the parties is stood next to another Mefite.
posted by arcticseal at 7:30 PM on March 11, 2012 [8 favorites]
Not if one of the parties is stood next to another Mefite.
posted by arcticseal at 7:30 PM on March 11, 2012 [8 favorites]
dg: "This question cannot be answered, because there is no one person who is the furthest away from other mefites. Thee must be at least two that are equally distant from each other ;-)"
geometry fail.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:33 PM on March 11, 2012 [27 favorites]
geometry fail.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:33 PM on March 11, 2012 [27 favorites]
penguin pie was in the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas for a while, but she's no longer there — otherwise she'd be a contender.
posted by Johnny Assay at 7:38 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by Johnny Assay at 7:38 PM on March 11, 2012
I am among the least remote at the moment since there are several mefites in my flat right now, and only two of us live here.
posted by rtha at 7:38 PM on March 11, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by rtha at 7:38 PM on March 11, 2012 [7 favorites]
I'm in Billings, Montana and I had the "no other users nearby" message. Until I got married and my lovely bride joined. Now we are "0 miles" apart.
posted by The Deej at 7:45 PM on March 11, 2012 [14 favorites]
posted by The Deej at 7:45 PM on March 11, 2012 [14 favorites]
I am among the least remote at the moment
Hm. Do we have any conjoined mefites?
posted by hattifattener at 7:47 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
Hm. Do we have any conjoined mefites?
posted by hattifattener at 7:47 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
So what's the cutoff for 'nearby'? And is this something the infodump can help with?
posted by unSane at 7:48 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by unSane at 7:48 PM on March 11, 2012
I suppose that this might be as good a time as any to admit that I am actually participating on MetaFilter from, well, let's call it in English, Child's-World, a planet orbiting a red dwarf about twenty-two light-years away in the Scorpius constellation. (Yes, yes, we've influenced your so-called "science-fiction" television programming. It's a hobby.)
My apparent location in New Mexico is the result of some accidents of history involving mislaid wormhole devices, loss of flight integrity, and nearby subterranean nuclear weapon storage installations handy for the hiding and study of apparently "alien" technology. It's really quite an annoyance that I pay for DSL at all, honestly.
I expect there'll be some kind of announcement from your government soon; perha
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 7:53 PM on March 11, 2012 [5 favorites]
My apparent location in New Mexico is the result of some accidents of history involving mislaid wormhole devices, loss of flight integrity, and nearby subterranean nuclear weapon storage installations handy for the hiding and study of apparently "alien" technology. It's really quite an annoyance that I pay for DSL at all, honestly.
I expect there'll be some kind of announcement from your government soon; perha
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 7:53 PM on March 11, 2012 [5 favorites]
You define "nearby" yourself in your profile settings.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:54 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by dunkadunc at 7:54 PM on March 11, 2012
There's gotta be someone in an Antarctic research station, right?
And if so, they're hopefully finding an alien spacecraft. Because that'd be an epic "should I eat this" thread.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:55 PM on March 11, 2012 [3 favorites]
And if so, they're hopefully finding an alien spacecraft. Because that'd be an epic "should I eat this" thread.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:55 PM on March 11, 2012 [3 favorites]
This guy.
Think about it. If he's right, he is indeed very very far away from other mefites.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:56 PM on March 11, 2012 [6 favorites]
Think about it. If he's right, he is indeed very very far away from other mefites.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:56 PM on March 11, 2012 [6 favorites]
I was hoping the thread would be a battle of the snark between our sassiest members.
posted by WhitenoisE at 7:58 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by WhitenoisE at 7:58 PM on March 11, 2012
You define "nearby" yourself in your profile settings.
Awesome. It seems to default to 100 miles. Maximum is 9999.
posted by unSane at 7:59 PM on March 11, 2012
Awesome. It seems to default to 100 miles. Maximum is 9999.
posted by unSane at 7:59 PM on March 11, 2012
If he's right, he is indeed very very far away from other mefites.
What do you mean? We're all right there in his freakin' head.
posted by unSane at 8:00 PM on March 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
What do you mean? We're all right there in his freakin' head.
posted by unSane at 8:00 PM on March 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
You define "nearby" yourself in your profile settings.
Okay, so when I expanded it to 400 miles it captured a bunch of users who are "near" me. I feel less alone already! I was beginning to contemplate setting up an account for my husband, because it worked for The Deej, but now I don't have to.
posted by mireille at 8:01 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
Okay, so when I expanded it to 400 miles it captured a bunch of users who are "near" me. I feel less alone already! I was beginning to contemplate setting up an account for my husband, because it worked for The Deej, but now I don't have to.
posted by mireille at 8:01 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
I have absolutely no chance in this competition, do I...
posted by Meta Filter at 8:02 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Meta Filter at 8:02 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
I coulda been a contender if I hadn't persuaded these people to join as well.
posted by flabdablet at 8:04 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by flabdablet at 8:04 PM on March 11, 2012
Hm. Do we have any conjoined mefites?
I think any mefites that are having sex right now would actually win the "least remote" prize.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:14 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
I think any mefites that are having sex right now would actually win the "least remote" prize.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:14 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
Focus, people. Focus.
posted by unSane at 8:17 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by unSane at 8:17 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
I think there might be an issue with the distance calculations-- most of the users I'm nearest to are showing up as 383 miles away, but the actual distance between my town and their city (using Google Maps) is at least 507 miles. Can anyone else confirm any strange calculations?
posted by mireille at 8:32 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by mireille at 8:32 PM on March 11, 2012
This is a thread about physical space.. if it was about alienation from one another we might end up with a massive a slap fight to figure it out
posted by edgeways at 8:33 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by edgeways at 8:33 PM on March 11, 2012
5_13_23_42_69_666: "I think any mefites that are having sex right now would actually win the "least remote" prize."
Would it have to be with another person?
posted by dg at 8:34 PM on March 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
Would it have to be with another person?
posted by dg at 8:34 PM on March 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
2 mefites having sex with each other. unless your hand has it's own account.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:46 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:46 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
My left hand doesnt know what my right is doing.
Seriously. That jerk never calls.
posted by Occula at 8:51 PM on March 11, 2012
Seriously. That jerk never calls.
posted by Occula at 8:51 PM on March 11, 2012
5_13_23_42_69_666: "2 mefites having sex with each other. unless your hand has it's own account."
Damn it, no matter how hard I try, I can never win prizes.
posted by dg at 8:52 PM on March 11, 2012
Damn it, no matter how hard I try, I can never win prizes.
posted by dg at 8:52 PM on March 11, 2012
if you're putting in that much effort, I'm sure your activity will produce it's own reward.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:01 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:01 PM on March 11, 2012
we're not having sex right this second but my foot is touching the shoulder of my mefite husband (get your minds out of the gutter! he's sitting on the floor playing a video game and i'm stretched out on the couch).
posted by nadawi at 9:10 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by nadawi at 9:10 PM on March 11, 2012
Nadawi's comment just gave me the strangest idea: people live-blogging their lovemaking. This could already be a thing, but I really don't wanna google that right now.
posted by MattMangels at 9:20 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by MattMangels at 9:20 PM on March 11, 2012
I think folks are more into video-blogging that.
posted by maryr at 9:24 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by maryr at 9:24 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
There's this Mefite in Chad. I imagine they might be a leading candidate for the title.
posted by Flashman at 9:24 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by Flashman at 9:24 PM on March 11, 2012
hattifattener: "Hm. Do we have any conjoined mefites?"
Well quite a few mefites have sockpuppet accounts...
posted by the_artificer at 9:47 PM on March 11, 2012
Well quite a few mefites have sockpuppet accounts...
posted by the_artificer at 9:47 PM on March 11, 2012
Seriously, the first mefite that came to my mind is meatbomb.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 10:15 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 10:15 PM on March 11, 2012
mireille writes "I think there might be an issue with the distance calculations-- most of the users I'm nearest to are showing up as 383 miles away, but the actual distance between my town and their city (using Google Maps) is at least 507 miles."
Doesn't google maps give driving distance between places rather than straight line distance?
posted by Mitheral at 10:25 PM on March 11, 2012
Doesn't google maps give driving distance between places rather than straight line distance?
posted by Mitheral at 10:25 PM on March 11, 2012
I was hoping the thread would be a battle of the snark between our sassiest members.
As opposed to?
posted by joe lisboa at 10:31 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
As opposed to?
posted by joe lisboa at 10:31 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
I felt very far from mefites when I was living in Fethiye, Turkey last year - the closest one was about 400 miles away in Greece. Now in Seattle, there are over 100 mefites nearby and I haven't reached out. Distance is relative.
posted by Surfurrus at 10:42 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by Surfurrus at 10:42 PM on March 11, 2012
I feel pretty remote, but there are Mefites 118 miles away (I guess that would be Kuala Lumpur). And of course in the dreamworld I am right there inside your brain, so that's pretty close. Even closer than fucking I'd say - well met, hey!
posted by Meatbomb at 11:26 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Meatbomb at 11:26 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
I keep thinking of hoder. If nothing else, he's the furthest distance from any other MeFite in every way that matters.
posted by tzikeh at 11:36 PM on March 11, 2012 [22 favorites]
posted by tzikeh at 11:36 PM on March 11, 2012 [22 favorites]
people live-blogging their lovemaking
11:37: Answer is still "no." Now at hour three of begging.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:38 PM on March 11, 2012 [12 favorites]
11:37: Answer is still "no." Now at hour three of begging.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:38 PM on March 11, 2012 [12 favorites]
if Napoleon was still alive and in exile on St Helena and a MeFite, he'd be pretty darned remote.
posted by philip-random at 11:46 PM on March 11, 2012
posted by philip-random at 11:46 PM on March 11, 2012
Never really looked at that proximity thing before. Just did. There are a surprising number (somewhat more than a shitload but somewhat less than a fuckton) of Mefites here in Korea these days. Huh.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:51 AM on March 12, 2012
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:51 AM on March 12, 2012
Antarctica? Isn't Easter Island the most remote inhabited place on Earth? So we need someone to move there.
Fun Fact: Here I was all set to jump in and say that Easter Island is the most remote place on Earth, until I started looking around. According to Wikipedia on remoteness and a little research of Bouvet Island and Easter Island, the latter is only the most remote inhabited land. See also Poles of Inaccessibility.
posted by IndigoRain at 12:55 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
Fun Fact: Here I was all set to jump in and say that Easter Island is the most remote place on Earth, until I started looking around. According to Wikipedia on remoteness and a little research of Bouvet Island and Easter Island, the latter is only the most remote inhabited land. See also Poles of Inaccessibility.
posted by IndigoRain at 12:55 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
SHAFT
posted by thelonius at 2:40 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 2:40 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm the only Mefite between Toronto and Winnipeg.
posted by empatterson at 3:36 AM on March 12, 2012
posted by empatterson at 3:36 AM on March 12, 2012
I am in Oulu, Finland, quite far away from everyone else who has set their location field in the profile. As it turns out, the closest MeFi user to me is svenni who lives in Reykjavik at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Seriously, I think he has entered the wrong data into his profile.
posted by tykky at 3:48 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by tykky at 3:48 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
I am the only Mefite between Nippori Station and Uguisudani Station.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:23 AM on March 12, 2012
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:23 AM on March 12, 2012
Presumably it would be possible to scrape the geolocation data and then analyse it to find the most remote user.
posted by unSane at 4:40 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by unSane at 4:40 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
A lot of users don't give their geolocations. It used to be that when I was in Lahore, no one showed up within 250 miles. Now I see that another user has added their location and is within 1mile.
posted by bardophile at 5:32 AM on March 12, 2012
posted by bardophile at 5:32 AM on March 12, 2012
And in terms of accessibility, the distance between Delhi and Lahore is nothing like as small as 250miles.
posted by bardophile at 5:38 AM on March 12, 2012
posted by bardophile at 5:38 AM on March 12, 2012
Island of Borneo reporting in. It's under 300 miles to Singapore, but it feels a lot farther.
posted by BinGregory at 5:41 AM on March 12, 2012
posted by BinGregory at 5:41 AM on March 12, 2012
Doesn't google maps give driving distance between places rather than straight line distance?
That must be the discrepancy, then. But since a one-way flight to that location (the nearest actual city to me) costs upwards of $1500, I tend to think in driving distances-- and it's an 8.5 hour drive if you drive well above speed limit. So the system is technically accurate but just impractical in some cases.
posted by mireille at 5:42 AM on March 12, 2012
That must be the discrepancy, then. But since a one-way flight to that location (the nearest actual city to me) costs upwards of $1500, I tend to think in driving distances-- and it's an 8.5 hour drive if you drive well above speed limit. So the system is technically accurate but just impractical in some cases.
posted by mireille at 5:42 AM on March 12, 2012
Well, now that I've updated my location, I think I win.
Strange. I was expecting my efforts to be stymied by a load more (out)lying gits...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 6:13 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Strange. I was expecting my efforts to be stymied by a load more (out)lying gits...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 6:13 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
On not-preview, I didn't see IndigoRain's comment...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 6:14 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 6:14 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm in Billings, Montana and I had the "no other users nearby" message. Until I got married and my lovely bride joined. Now we are "0 miles" apart.
Watch out, The Deej; any day now, I'm going to relocate to Billings and start my new life as a professional karaoke singer at the Crystal Lounge.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:32 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Watch out, The Deej; any day now, I'm going to relocate to Billings and start my new life as a professional karaoke singer at the Crystal Lounge.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:32 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
I am.
I clicked on your profile once some time ago and have to say I kind of hoped that was real.
posted by psoas at 6:51 AM on March 12, 2012
I clicked on your profile once some time ago and have to say I kind of hoped that was real.
posted by psoas at 6:51 AM on March 12, 2012
Until I got married and my lovely bride joined. Now we are "0 miles" apart.
"Darling, would you - will you - align with my co-ordinates?"
posted by Segundus at 7:00 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
"Darling, would you - will you - align with my co-ordinates?"
posted by Segundus at 7:00 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
Watch out, The Deej; any day now, I'm going to relocate to Billings and start my new life as a professional karaoke singer at the Crystal Lounge.
You sang and were compensated, so I think you ARE a professional! Feel free to come back any time and turn over your gift certificates to me again! Although I guess techinically the certificate was not so much for "singing" as for "drinking." :)
posted by The Deej at 7:22 AM on March 12, 2012
You sang and were compensated, so I think you ARE a professional! Feel free to come back any time and turn over your gift certificates to me again! Although I guess techinically the certificate was not so much for "singing" as for "drinking." :)
posted by The Deej at 7:22 AM on March 12, 2012
Although I guess techinically the certificate was not so much for "singing" as for "drinking." :)
Yes and I had *4* drinks for, like, $10 (don't judge me, I had been in the car with my in-laws all day)! Yet another reason to move to Billings!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:25 AM on March 12, 2012
Yes and I had *4* drinks for, like, $10 (don't judge me, I had been in the car with my in-laws all day)! Yet another reason to move to Billings!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:25 AM on March 12, 2012
Agreed, it is crazy-cheap here compared to real cities! Thanks for reminding me. I need to up my drinking game!
posted by The Deej at 7:36 AM on March 12, 2012
posted by The Deej at 7:36 AM on March 12, 2012
I have never used the infodump, but if someone can explain to me (assuming this is possible) how to make it give me a table containing the geographic coordinates of all the users who have provided them, and their user IDs, I can plug this into the ol' GIS and find an answer for you.
posted by agentofselection at 8:34 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by agentofselection at 8:34 AM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
My nearest MeFite compatriot is a mere 466 miles away. The next is 545 miles, and the next two are at 684.
Meetup?
posted by solotoro at 8:41 AM on March 12, 2012
Meetup?
posted by solotoro at 8:41 AM on March 12, 2012
And is this something the infodump can help with?
No, but there's also a KML file available that lists all the coordinates that MeFites have entered in their profiles. I'm doing the number crunching on that right now to calculate the nearest neighbor for every MeFite in that file. Should be about 15 minutes or so.
posted by FishBike at 8:42 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
No, but there's also a KML file available that lists all the coordinates that MeFites have entered in their profiles. I'm doing the number crunching on that right now to calculate the nearest neighbor for every MeFite in that file. Should be about 15 minutes or so.
posted by FishBike at 8:42 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
FYI: double-check that the "nearest" MeFite actually has accurate information.
My "nearest" lists Iowa City as location, but the coordinates point to Meeteetse, Wyoming. Do you hear that, newrambler?
posted by The Deej at 9:00 AM on March 12, 2012
My "nearest" lists Iowa City as location, but the coordinates point to Meeteetse, Wyoming. Do you hear that, newrambler?
posted by The Deej at 9:00 AM on March 12, 2012
There's this Mefite in Chad. I imagine they might be a leading candidate for the title.
Unlike when I first moved over to Africa, there are now other Mefites on the continent. I'm pretty sure I hosted the first meetup on the continent at one point.
I was in Chad for work, full disclosure, I'm technically based in Nairobi and there might be another mefite as close as Dar Es Salaam, which is just under 600 miles away. So, if that's true, and there's no longer anyone on Antartica...win?
posted by allkindsoftime at 9:18 AM on March 12, 2012
Unlike when I first moved over to Africa, there are now other Mefites on the continent. I'm pretty sure I hosted the first meetup on the continent at one point.
I was in Chad for work, full disclosure, I'm technically based in Nairobi and there might be another mefite as close as Dar Es Salaam, which is just under 600 miles away. So, if that's true, and there's no longer anyone on Antartica...win?
posted by allkindsoftime at 9:18 AM on March 12, 2012
So here are the top 20 most isolated MeFites according to the location data entered in profiles. This is using the haversine formula which assumes the earth is perfectly spherical, which of course it isn't.
This also assumes everyone put their real coordinates in their profile (yeah, right) and that I did the math correctly (ha!). It does seem to be coming up with somewhat different results than the profile page itself does, so I wonder which formula that uses?
This also assumes everyone put their real coordinates in their profile (yeah, right) and that I did the math correctly (ha!). It does seem to be coming up with somewhat different results than the profile page itself does, so I wonder which formula that uses?
posted by FishBike at 9:19 AM on March 12, 2012 [16 favorites]
hot_monster (2329.1 miles from Jennifer Leigh DeHoyt-Hysignell)
PenguinBukkake (1562.0 miles from Jimbob)
found missing (1447.5 miles from sic)
HVAC Guerilla (1446.6 miles from madman)
imbecile (1427.5 miles from cardoso)
adipocere (1312.5 miles from Dag Maggot)
jlbartosa (1154.2 miles from nzydarkxj)
wandering_not_lost (996.3 miles from minimii)
dirty hippie (894.2 miles from primalux)
Rat Spatula (843.9 miles from jjray)
jjray (843.9 miles from Rat Spatula)
sic (810.1 miles from MiguelCardoso)
pseudonymph (800.9 miles from Turandottiness)
bryn (783.6 miles from KayTerra)
gnome de plume (701.1 miles from iadramelk)
onalark (694.7 miles from Papagayo)
cior (689.4 miles from esemay)
liberalintellect (640.5 miles from wallaby)
noahpoah (615.7 miles from carmelita)
krautland (608.9 miles from chairish)
(And looking through those results, I think the 7th entry--jlbartosa--is probably the first one with relatively accurate location info).
posted by FishBike at 9:30 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by FishBike at 9:30 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
I demand that the tag "datawankery" be added to this post.
posted by ocherdraco at 9:34 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by ocherdraco at 9:34 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
I don't know if that KML has been updated in awhile. I'm on my phone so I can't check. If it places me in Illinois it's at least 2 years out of date.
posted by desjardins at 10:00 AM on March 12, 2012
posted by desjardins at 10:00 AM on March 12, 2012
I don't know if that KML has been updated in awhile.
The highest user number in it is for an account created about a week ago, so I think it's pretty up to date actually.
posted by FishBike at 10:09 AM on March 12, 2012
The highest user number in it is for an account created about a week ago, so I think it's pretty up to date actually.
posted by FishBike at 10:09 AM on March 12, 2012
Looks like the top 10 countries for MeFites (with number and MeFites per million) are:
1. United States of America (7153 MeFites, 23.86 per million)
2. Canada (611 MeFites, 18.93 per million)
3. United Kingdom (544, 9.03)
4. Australia (234, 11.52)
5. China (111, 0.08)
6. Germany (80, 0.97)
7. Netherlands (56, 3.43)
8. New Zealand (46, 11.23)
9. Japan (43, 0.34)
10. France (32, 0.52)
Some points are in the water and not counted here; for instance, many New Yorkers may not have a perfectly accurate location and are located just offshore. There also seems to be an unusual cluster of MeFites along the Silk Road; about 90-100 MeFites in an area of very low population in general, and not in major population centres like Bishkek, Urumqi, Lhasa, or Tashkent.
The next 5 countries on the list are Kyrgyzstan (I suspect all of these points to be artefacts; they're centred around Dzhergetal, which is a pretty good working definition for the middle of nowhere, at least English-speaking-internet-user-wise), then Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Mexico and India.
Other countries with large numbers of MeFites per million are Iceland (20.29), Ireland (6.76), Kyrgyzstan, Singapore (4.16) and Denmark (3.32). I'm excluding places with only one MeFite, like Macau, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 11:20 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
1. United States of America (7153 MeFites, 23.86 per million)
2. Canada (611 MeFites, 18.93 per million)
3. United Kingdom (544, 9.03)
4. Australia (234, 11.52)
5. China (111, 0.08)
6. Germany (80, 0.97)
7. Netherlands (56, 3.43)
8. New Zealand (46, 11.23)
9. Japan (43, 0.34)
10. France (32, 0.52)
Some points are in the water and not counted here; for instance, many New Yorkers may not have a perfectly accurate location and are located just offshore. There also seems to be an unusual cluster of MeFites along the Silk Road; about 90-100 MeFites in an area of very low population in general, and not in major population centres like Bishkek, Urumqi, Lhasa, or Tashkent.
The next 5 countries on the list are Kyrgyzstan (I suspect all of these points to be artefacts; they're centred around Dzhergetal, which is a pretty good working definition for the middle of nowhere, at least English-speaking-internet-user-wise), then Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Mexico and India.
Other countries with large numbers of MeFites per million are Iceland (20.29), Ireland (6.76), Kyrgyzstan, Singapore (4.16) and Denmark (3.32). I'm excluding places with only one MeFite, like Macau, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 11:20 AM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
There also seems to be an unusual cluster of MeFites along the Silk Road; about 90-100 MeFites in an area of very low population in general, and not in major population centres like Bishkek, Urumqi, Lhasa, or Tashkent.
That's caused when people drop a "-" sign off their longitude.
posted by Mitheral at 12:44 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
That's caused when people drop a "-" sign off their longitude.
posted by Mitheral at 12:44 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
Could someone make a heat map or some other kind of population density map of mefites, particularly in North America? That would be cool.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:49 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:49 PM on March 12, 2012
I was thinking of Easter Island, too. Probably my favorite place on Earth. If I ever get to go back, I will certainly post from there.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:55 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:55 PM on March 12, 2012
2. Canada (611 MeFites, 18.93 per million)
That few? Having attended meetups in five or six cities across this land, I have apparently met something like 20% of my countrymen mefites.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:17 PM on March 12, 2012
That few? Having attended meetups in five or six cities across this land, I have apparently met something like 20% of my countrymen mefites.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:17 PM on March 12, 2012
ricochet biscuit, I believe Homeboy Trouble used only those mefites who have filled out their location data in a place that hits land on google maps. That's going to drop the number quite a bit.
posted by Navelgazer at 1:21 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by Navelgazer at 1:21 PM on March 12, 2012
Based on my inability to get people to come to the Bronx, I'd like to suggest that I am the most distant.
posted by sciencegeek at 1:22 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by sciencegeek at 1:22 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
I had a short conversation with pb about how the profile page calculates distances to the nearest MeFites. It assumes that the earth is a) flat and b) rectangular. This works OK for short distances at middle-ish latitudes, which is just fine for the intended use.
The formula I used measures along the great circle between two points on a sphere, so that's why the results differ so much from the profile page, including not even ranking the nearby contacts in the same order.
posted by FishBike at 1:23 PM on March 12, 2012
The formula I used measures along the great circle between two points on a sphere, so that's why the results differ so much from the profile page, including not even ranking the nearby contacts in the same order.
posted by FishBike at 1:23 PM on March 12, 2012
And in terms of accessibility, the distance between Delhi and Lahore is nothing like as small as 250miles.
What's a little Kashmir between mefites?
posted by Navelgazer at 1:25 PM on March 12, 2012
What's a little Kashmir between mefites?
posted by Navelgazer at 1:25 PM on March 12, 2012
ricochet biscuit, I believe Homeboy Trouble used only those mefites who have filled out their location data in a place that hits land on google maps. That's going to drop the number quite a bit.
Yeah. In the latest infodump there are 55,935 user accounts listed. And in the KML file there are only 9,727 users listed. So if the percentage of MeFites who enter location info is the same everywhere, there should be 3,513 MeFites in Canada.
posted by FishBike at 1:32 PM on March 12, 2012
Yeah. In the latest infodump there are 55,935 user accounts listed. And in the KML file there are only 9,727 users listed. So if the percentage of MeFites who enter location info is the same everywhere, there should be 3,513 MeFites in Canada.
posted by FishBike at 1:32 PM on March 12, 2012
We should start thinking of a pan Africa meetup, seeing lots pop up in differing countries
posted by infini at 1:33 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 1:33 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
I am the only MeFite on the island of Kauai. Hit me up if you visit and I will take you to my favorite breakfast spot!
posted by kamikazegopher at 2:04 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by kamikazegopher at 2:04 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
Yeah, the vast bulk of missing MeFites is due to not having location information, not the water thing. (For Canadians, the shapefile I had sitting around doesn't have inland water, so Toronto and Montreal don't have the water intersect issue, anyways.)
Looking at the US, here are the most-Mefited metropolitan areas (using the CBSA definition):
1. New York (778 MeFites, 41.2 per million)
2. San Francisco (493, 113.7)
3. Washington (347, 62.2)
3. Chicago (347, 36.7)
5. Los Angeles (338, 26.3)
6. Seattle (322, 93.6)
7. Boston (310, 68.1)
8. Portland, OR (215, 96.6)
9. Austin (201, 117.1)
10. Minneapolis (171, 52.1)
11. Philadelphia (162, 27.2)
12. Atlanta (126, 23.9)
13. San Jose, CA (111, 60.4)
14. Dallas (105, 16.5)
15. Pittsburgh (85, 36.1)
The other metro areas with lots of MeFites per million (considering those over 100K population) include Ithaca NY (187.1), Champaign-Urbana IL (125.1), Lawrence KS (117.3), Boulder CO (115.4), Madison WI (114.3), Ann Arbor MI (113.1) and Durham NC (111.0). For overseas MeFites unfamiliar with these places, these are all college towns.
Potential expansion markets currently underserved by MeFites include Riverside/San Bernardino CA (5.2 per million), Miami (6.1 per million), San Antonio TX (7.5 per million), Birmingham AL (10.6 per million) and Tampa FL (10.8 per million).
The shapefile I had for this includes an offshore buffer, so the water thing is no longer an issue.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 2:12 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
Looking at the US, here are the most-Mefited metropolitan areas (using the CBSA definition):
1. New York (778 MeFites, 41.2 per million)
2. San Francisco (493, 113.7)
3. Washington (347, 62.2)
3. Chicago (347, 36.7)
5. Los Angeles (338, 26.3)
6. Seattle (322, 93.6)
7. Boston (310, 68.1)
8. Portland, OR (215, 96.6)
9. Austin (201, 117.1)
10. Minneapolis (171, 52.1)
11. Philadelphia (162, 27.2)
12. Atlanta (126, 23.9)
13. San Jose, CA (111, 60.4)
14. Dallas (105, 16.5)
15. Pittsburgh (85, 36.1)
The other metro areas with lots of MeFites per million (considering those over 100K population) include Ithaca NY (187.1), Champaign-Urbana IL (125.1), Lawrence KS (117.3), Boulder CO (115.4), Madison WI (114.3), Ann Arbor MI (113.1) and Durham NC (111.0). For overseas MeFites unfamiliar with these places, these are all college towns.
Potential expansion markets currently underserved by MeFites include Riverside/San Bernardino CA (5.2 per million), Miami (6.1 per million), San Antonio TX (7.5 per million), Birmingham AL (10.6 per million) and Tampa FL (10.8 per million).
The shapefile I had for this includes an offshore buffer, so the water thing is no longer an issue.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 2:12 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
Until last night, I was occasionally reading Metafilter from the Tai Forest, Cote d'Ivoire!
posted by ChuraChura at 3:14 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 3:14 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
I would have expected to show up in FishBike's list.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 4:15 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 4:15 PM on March 12, 2012
I would have expected to show up in FishBike's list.
crazy_american is approximately 0 miles from you.
posted by FishBike at 4:30 PM on March 12, 2012
crazy_american is approximately 0 miles from you.
posted by FishBike at 4:30 PM on March 12, 2012
Do you hear that, newrambler?
She moved. I will tell her she needs to get on the stick updating her coordinates.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:31 PM on March 12, 2012
She moved. I will tell her she needs to get on the stick updating her coordinates.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:31 PM on March 12, 2012
Also I suspect Jennifer Leigh DeHoyt-Hysignell is not a real user.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:32 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:32 PM on March 12, 2012
I suspect that your suspicion is correct.
I demand that the tag "datawankery" be added to this post.
Done!
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:06 PM on March 12, 2012
I demand that the tag "datawankery" be added to this post.
Done!
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:06 PM on March 12, 2012
crazy_american is approximately 0 miles from you.Unpossible! she's 48º to the west!
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 5:15 PM on March 12, 2012
Well, I walked past a MeFite on my way back from lunch today. One of the 5 of us listed in my city. Is that close enough?
posted by ambrosen at 5:22 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by ambrosen at 5:22 PM on March 12, 2012
I'm the only Mefite between Toronto and Winnipeg.
posted by empatterson at 5:36 AM on March 12 [+] [!]
Except for me (and liquado)
posted by davey_darling at 5:38 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by empatterson at 5:36 AM on March 12 [+] [!]
Except for me (and liquado)
posted by davey_darling at 5:38 PM on March 12, 2012
Will the real account of sockpuppet username sockless please proudly come out and claim her spot? Surely it's in the top 5.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 6:28 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by RJ Reynolds at 6:28 PM on March 12, 2012
She mentions that she started a blog and I think talks about where exactly she is, or more or less anyhow.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:59 PM on March 12, 2012
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:59 PM on March 12, 2012
Do you hear that, newrambler?
She moved. I will tell her she needs to get on the stick updating her coordinates.
Thanks! I'd hate to show up unannounced at the wrong coordinates!
posted by The Deej at 8:36 PM on March 12, 2012
She moved. I will tell her she needs to get on the stick updating her coordinates.
Thanks! I'd hate to show up unannounced at the wrong coordinates!
posted by The Deej at 8:36 PM on March 12, 2012
We should start thinking of a pan Africa meetup, seeing lots pop up in differing countries
I tried to get a Timbuktu meetup going in January to no avail, alas.
posted by mykescipark at 9:08 AM on March 13, 2012
I tried to get a Timbuktu meetup going in January to no avail, alas.
posted by mykescipark at 9:08 AM on March 13, 2012
It's certainly possible there are antarctic mefites this winter, but I'm definitely not one of them, and I don't know of any. (Though, I'm pretty sure there was at least one at Pole in December.) At the moment, I show 13 members within one mile. It wouldn't surprise me if there are several in my building.
I wonder what community standards would require in order to consider an autonomous space probe a genuine member and not a sock-puppet.
posted by eotvos at 11:52 AM on March 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
I wonder what community standards would require in order to consider an autonomous space probe a genuine member and not a sock-puppet.
posted by eotvos at 11:52 AM on March 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
If you can navigate the sign up process and pass a Turing Test you can be a member.
posted by Mitheral at 12:16 PM on March 13, 2012
posted by Mitheral at 12:16 PM on March 13, 2012
Related: I am posting from 1885. Where I'm proud to say I'm considered very progressive.
posted by jfuller at 6:17 PM on March 13, 2012
posted by jfuller at 6:17 PM on March 13, 2012
i'm posting from 2700 bc in egypt - and i have to chew tons of stone to communicate with you
don't ever tell me to eat my words, damn it ...
posted by pyramid termite at 6:31 PM on March 13, 2012
don't ever tell me to eat my words, damn it ...
posted by pyramid termite at 6:31 PM on March 13, 2012
I was in Chad for work, full disclosure, I'm technically based in Nairobi and there might be another mefite as close as Dar Es Salaam, which is just under 600 miles away. So, if that's true, and there's no longer anyone on Antartica...win?
There might be another in Nairobi. Now, anyway, having finally registered.
posted by Hobo at 10:40 PM on March 13, 2012
There might be another in Nairobi. Now, anyway, having finally registered.
posted by Hobo at 10:40 PM on March 13, 2012
I'm the only Mefite between Toronto and Winnipeg.
It's on you to hold the line then. In both directions.
posted by srboisvert at 9:13 AM on March 14, 2012
It's on you to hold the line then. In both directions.
posted by srboisvert at 9:13 AM on March 14, 2012
Well anybody could _say_ that; we'll need to see filled out location information to really believe it.
posted by Mitheral at 12:22 PM on March 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Mitheral at 12:22 PM on March 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
The site only permits one location to be filled out - unlike for Skype, it doesn't seem to make sense here at metafilter to be changing it every so often does it? Let me ponder this conundrum and some photographs been going up in mlkshk every so often since Jan
posted by infini at 9:23 AM on March 15, 2012
posted by infini at 9:23 AM on March 15, 2012
I change my location whenever I travel so that I know who is nearby for meetups.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:27 AM on March 15, 2012
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:27 AM on March 15, 2012
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posted by thirteenkiller at 7:13 PM on March 11, 2012